Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to wireless digital communication and, more specifically, to a technique for changing the operating state of a node within a network.
Description of the Related Art
A conventional wireless mesh network includes a plurality of nodes configured to communicate with one another. Each such node typically communicates with other nodes in the network according to a particular operating state. The operating state of a given node could include the signaling range, the carrier frequency, the band, or other parameters associated with wireless communication.
At times, different nodes within the network may operate according to different operating states. This situation could occur because some of the nodes transitioned to a new operating state while other nodes did not transition to the new operating state. The problem with this situation is that nodes operating according to different operating states may not be able to communicate with one another. When nodes in the network cannot communicate with one another, data communication across the network could be significantly impeded and the overall throughput of the network reduced.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is an effective technique for managing the operating states of nodes within a network.